NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has decided that fans are not getting their money’s worth from the nation’s most popular spectator sport. “You want to add excitement with every play,” said the concerned commissioner of the 256 regular season games plus playoff contests played this season.

His solution–make extra points automatic. But if a team decides to go for 2 and fails, the gimmie extra point will be taken away, leaving a 6 rather than 7 point score.

In the 2013 regular season, exactly 5 extra point tries failed. Five! In short, the extra point is already automatic. And when a team fails in a bid to score 2 points, the result is 6! That is, Commissioner Goodell’s automatic extra point is taken away.

Rather than engage in the mental gymnastics required to make Rube Goldberg a participant in every Sunday contest, maybe Commissioner Goodell should consider the damage already inflicted on the game of football in the name of generating excitement.

In 1974, rules concerning pass interference were changed. Receivers could no longer be harrassed by defenders until the ball was in the air. Four years later came the Mel Blount Rule. In a clear effort to help outclassed competition score against the Pittsburgh Steeler defense, the league decided to prevent defensive backs coming into contact with receivers beyond 5 yards of the scrimmage line. The result of this attempt to neuter the Hall of Fame cornerback: Pittsburgh’s Terry Bradshaw had his best season, the Steelers went 14-2, defeated Dallas in the Super Bowl, and would go on to win their 4th championship in 1979. Pretty shrewd, Commissioner Rozell. Pretty shrewd.

All those years ago, the great teams ran the ball. The game of football was a collision sport, in many ways a rougher and more physical game than the one fans see today. Forty years of rules changes have made football a game of pitch and catch. Placed in skirts by rules changes, quarterbacks weep uncontrollably when officials do not properly protect them and their receivers from having to experience actual contact. Are Tom Brady and Peyton Manning better quarterbacks than John Unitas or Fran Tarkenton? Statistics would say yes. But how many touchdown passes would Manning, Brady, or Brees have thrown this year if their receivers had been pummeled on each play at the line of scrimmage as linebackers attempted to decapitate both the pitcher and the catcher even on running plays?

Want to add more “excitement” to the game, Commissioner Goodell? Make it against the rules to rush the passer! Turn 400 yard passing games into 700 or 800! A 10,000 yard passing season and 85 touchdowns thrown. Now wouldn’t THAT be exciting. Institute a rule penalizing the defense for intercepting a pass. Or limit the defensive team to 8 players. Final scores of 110 to 97 would be very exciting.

The far left has already begun its assault on the NFL as trial lawyers attempt to win multi-million dollar settlements for “brain damaged” players who never played a down! Don’t assist them in their efforts by dreaming up idiotic rule changes, commissioner. Your predecessors have done enough damage as it is.